1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a torsional vibration damper with a drive-side transmission element and with a driven-side transmission element, which can be rotationally deflected coaxial to the drive-side transmission element and which is connected to the latter via a damping device which is provided with energy accumulators. These energy accumulators are supported at sliding elements arranged in one of the transmission elements so as to be movable in a circumferential direction and which have circumferential projections for the energy accumulators, the circumferential projections being directed toward adjacent sliding elements, and/or which have penetration spaces for circumferential projections provided at the adjacent sliding elements. The sliding elements have in sequence in an axial direction at least one circumferential projection and/or at least one penetration space at their circumferential side which faces a sliding element adjacent in the circumferential direction.
2. Related Art
A known torsional vibration damper is shown in WO 2010/032915 A1. This torsional vibration damper has sliding elements at which are provided, at the center in each instance, a circumferential projection projecting in a direction of the sliding element adjacent in the circumferential direction or a penetration space for a circumferential projection formed at the adjacent sliding element. The following functions may be assigned to the circumferential projections: first, the circumferential projections overlap the energy accumulators along a portion of the circumferential extension thereof and accordingly prevent a bulging of the energy accumulators induced by centrifugal force, especially when these energy accumulators are formed as torsion springs with coils; second, the circumferential projections can be dimensioned such that, in conjunction with the associated penetration space of the sliding element adjacent in circumferential direction, they limit a compression travel of the energy accumulators under load so as to prevent the coils from mutually contacting. By preventing bulging of the energy accumulators, individual coils are prevented from frictionally contacting or even digging into one another in a radially outer limit of the torsional vibration damper, which would appreciably impair the decoupling effect. Limiting the compression travel of the energy accumulators counteracts high torsional stresses in the spring coils and therefore guards against damage to, or even breakage of, spring coils.
In the known torsional vibration damper, the circumferential projections are able to support the coils of energy accumulators radially outwardly within the extension region of the circumferential projections. However, this function is not possible adjacent a circumferential projection in the circumferential direction, i.e., in the extension region of a penetration space, while the respective circumferential projection has not penetrated into the penetration space when the energy accumulators are not loaded or under limited load. Consequently, the respective energy accumulator is only supported on the circumferential side on which the circumferential projection is located. Further, in the case of sliding elements having the circumferential projection on one circumferential side and the penetration space on the opposite circumferential side, there is a risk during assembly that they may be inserted with the sides reversed and be unable to function.